Nothing Will Change
by FaerieTail
Summary: After a moment of silence, he informed her about the business trip. She realized it wasn't a simple business trip this time - it was going to take awhile. TYL!GokuderaTYL!Haru ::The story has finally come to an end!::
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR! Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Amano Akira.

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Nothing Will Change

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Haru walked out into the garden, wearing her usual attire: a blouse and a flowing skirt. The garden was decorated wonderfully. She thought this whenever she walked down its elegant path rimmed with rose bushes. More roses climbed up, growing higher in the back, behind the bushes. Whoever landscaped the garden did a fantastic job.

She came across her destination. It was in one corner of the garden furnished with stone benches and surrounded in all kinds of flowers. And there she found the person she had been looking for. "Gokudera-kun," Haru called.

He was standing in the middle of the area and staring off into space in his usual suit and red dress shirt. Gokudera turned to look at the person who called him. "Oh, its you," he mumbled. His eyes flickered to her chin-length brown hair. He hoped she wasn't going to ask how her hair looked parted on this or that side like she always does. Honestly, he didn't know.

"Ah! Why are you smoking?!" Haru exclaimed when she saw the cigarette in his hand. "You're going to kill the flowers!"

Gokudera rolled his eyes. What an exaggeration. He sighed. He put it out, covered it in a tissue and stuffed it in his pocket to throw away later. "What do you want, Haru?" he inquired, his back facing her.

"Why aren't you at the party?" Haru asked, referring to the party, or gathering rather, that was occurring in the mansion.

"I'll go back in later," was Gokudera's simple reply. "I just needed some air."

"Oh. I see," Haru smiled. They stood in complete silence for a moment.

Gokudera glanced at her with an indifferent expression. "The Tenth and I are going on a business trip soon. Hibari is also joining us for other purposes," he mumbled, informing her on their next trip.

She smiled understandingly, "When?"

"Next week." His eyes were focused on the flowers on his side.

"Ah, really? For how long?" Haru questioned. This was her meager attempt of a casual conversation with Gokudera. It wasn't especially easy for her to sustain a civilized one with the Storm guardian.

"I'm not sure," Gokudera answered. He turned to her, hesitant to answer, "Maybe a few weeks. At worse, a couple of months or so."

Haru eyes grew wide in surprise. That was long; too long for an ordinary business trip. "…Eh? Gokudera-kun, why is it so long?" For them to be away that long, it already made her feel insecure. For the Vongola Boss, and his right-hand man, and even the Cloud Guardian to be away for longer than a week, two at most, at one time would cause complications. Perhaps somewhat of an uproar.

"That's confidential, stupid woman," Gokudera scoffed.

Haru looked at him with a sad expression before staring at the ground pathetically. How lonely. How lonely it would be without all of them around. She blinked when a rose appeared in her line of vision. She looked up to see Gokudera. He was in front of her, offering her the somewhat torn-less rose. She gave him a small smile before carefully taking it in her hands. It was rose of deep red in full bloom.

Gokudera looked down at her. "I'll be away for a while, so don't do anything stupid," he said, with a certain gentleness in his words.

She looked up at him, then grinned, "What are you talking about, Gokudera Hayato-kun? Shouldn't I be saying that to you?"

He took a step back and tilted his head to the side, smirking. "Oh, really?" He shook his head, amused. "Let's head back inside."

Haru complied, smiling. She blushed when he took her hand in his. As Gokudera led them on the path, she stared at his back and held the rose closer.

She decided. She was ready to wait for them to come back home. She'd be there to welcome them back. Haru already couldn't wait for them to return so she could go back to talking and laughing with _him_ as if _he_ never left.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR!

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Haru slouched spiritlessly at the breakfast table. Its only been a few days since they left but she felt so lifeless. Even Reborn had gone with the bunch to Italy.

Without them, her whole world seemed colorless and less lively. She was sure the others thought so too, but they had to deal with it all the same. But then again, she couldn't forget Yamamoto and Kyoko's brother, Ryohei who seemed spirited enough for the whole Family. They seemed energetic enough to help keep everyone optimistic through the empty days.

"Ah. Morning, Haru." Yamamoto entered the kitchen, grinning.

"…Morning, Yamamoto-san," Haru greeted back, forcing a small smile.

Yamamoto walked over to the refrigerator and got out a water bottle. He looked at her as she stared at the table in front of her. "What's wrong, Haru?"

Haru looked up at him and blinked a few times. "Eh?"

"Well, you looked kind of down," Yamamoto replied. "Anything wrong?"

"Well…I," Haru trailed off. Should she tell him? Wouldn't it seem selfish?

"It's okay." Yamamoto gave her a cheerful smile. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"…I miss them," Haru said slowly. She shut her eyes. Is it wrong to confide in him - even a little bit? "I miss them already."

Yamamoto blinked and said nothing. Then he laughed. "You're worried about them?" He smiled and said, "Don't worry. They'll be just fine. They'll come home safely." He patted her head and turned to leave. "There's nothing to worry about, Haru," he repeated, reassuringly.

Haru watched him leave the room. She sighed and clasped her hands together on her lap. She wanted to believe that, too.

-----

---

A month passed. Ryohei had been updating the other Family members on how Tsuna and the others had been doing in Italy. He updated the Family frequently, not wanting them to worry.

Then, Tsuna came home.

Dressed in a black suit and tie, he entered the gathering room, smiling. Reborn was standing beside him. Everyone rushed to them, happy and high-spirited. They didn't know they were returning, they were just told to gather in the room by Ryohei. What they got was a big surprise. And they were greatly overjoyed.

Bianchi blinked. "Where's Hayato?"

"That's right. Did Gokudera-niisan and Hibari-san come back with you?" Fuuta asked, worried.

Haru tensed and looked at Tsuna anxiously. Tsuna hesitated, as if he was choosing his words carefully. "They're still back in Italy. Gokudera-kun insisted I come back for a little while. He said he would take care of everything while I was away. He saw that I really missed everyone."

Everyone in the room smiled. I-pin, who hadn't spoken much since Tsuna entered, repeated, "…'A little while'?"

Tsuna nodded solemnly. "I have to return to Italy soon." His expression was downcast. "Also, I have an announcement to make…"

"What is it?" Haru asked.

Tsuna glanced at her. "This business trip…the thing is, something came up. So its been extended…to a year."

"A year?!" Ryohei exclaimed. "What's going on over there, Sawada?!"

"Please calm down, Sasagawa Ryohei," Reborn said, calmly. "The situation there is…" He paused. "Complicated."

"I do not see why it must last a whole year! To the extreme!"

Tsuna apologized. "I'll be leaving again for Italy in two days."

Despite the discouraging news, the group tried to stay optimistic. So immediately after, they threw a small welcome home party for the Vongola Decimo. When night fell, everyone tiredly went off to bed - Haru having been silent throughout the evening. This did not go unnoticed by the mafia boss but he said nothing.

When Haru returned to her room she plopped down on her bed, staring ahead with a blank expression. "A year…" she mumbled into the empty room. Unwanted images of Gokudera flashed in her mind. "A whole year," she whispered shakily, tears stinging her eyes, threatening to fall. Unable to restrain herself any longer Haru cried into her hands, desperately trying to muffle her sobs - but was unsuccessful.

Saddened by the distant crying that echoed through the halls, everyone silently cried with her.

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_::Next chapter preview::_

_Days passed. Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months._

_Tsuna had gone back to Italy long ago from his first visit._

_In fact, he had visited a couple times over the months. His last visit was three weeks ago and, again, the Family awaited the Sky's next return._

_Then, something unexpected happened. They lost contact with Italy._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR!

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Days passed. Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months.

Tsuna had gone back to Italy long ago from his first visit. In fact, he had visited a couple times over the months. His last visit was three weeks ago and, again, the Family awaited the Sky's next return.

Then, something unexpected happened.

They lost contact with Italy.

-

That day was a hectic one. None of the Guardians wanted to tell Haru and the others what happened. It wasn't until the day neared its end that the Sun Guardian brought everyone into the conference room. He tried to stay composed as he let the words slip out of his mouth: We've lost all contact with everyone in Italy.

They could only assume the worst - even Ryohei said so. He was being honest; he didn't want to lie to them. That was what he said, but that didn't keep the others from losing their composure. The girls started sobbing, while Fuuta and Bianchi looked down, hiding their faces. For all they knew, they could be dead. Ryohei had suggested everyone return to their rooms, reassuring they were doing all they could.

--

It seemed like such a long time ago now. Everyone was still trying to keep up with their daily lives and kept their routine. Teams were continuously sent to Italy to find out what happened to the guardians and their beloved boss, but each report brought discouragement every time. Even Ryohei went to Italy himself, trying to make contact, looking for clues, but in the end, came back empty-handed. It seemed his contact with the Varia who were stationed in Italy were severed, as well.

Doubt and hopelessness plagued everyone's minds as weeks went by, but optimism was a strong characteristic in the Decimo's family. They encouraged each other and kept faith in their Boss, his right-hand man, and their strongest guardian.

Haru sighed as she walked down the hall to the laundry room. She felt unusually tired today. She started to daydream, her mind wandering off. _Its almost been a year already_, she thought blankly. _We were able to cope so well at first…until we lost contact._

Haru frowned. She shook the thoughts away and stretched a little, trying to wake herself up, but realized it only made her feel sleepy. Then she shook her head and repeatedly slapped both sides of her face. She heard a laugh behind her. She looked back to see Yamamoto grinning ear to ear.

"What are you doing, Haru?" Yamamoto smiled, cheerfully.

"Ah…I was about to do the laundry." Haru smiled back.

"That's cool." Yamamoto gave a nod. He glanced at her face, a small frown appearing on his face. "Hey, Haru? Are you okay?"

Haru forced a laugh, trying to make it sound natural. "Of course!"

Yamamoto was silent as he studied her face. "Its okay, Haru. You don't have to hide it." He pulled her into a gentle, but firm, hug. "Its okay. Its fine, you know…if you cry. Its okay." Haru could only blink in surprise - and it was then that she noticed her tears sliding down her cheeks to the floor.

"Ah." She quickly wiped them away while she scolded herself for being (to what she thought)pathetic. How could she not have noticed? Again, her vision blurred as tears pooled in her eyes. _No! Stop!_ she told herself, fighting desperately against her own emotions. Hadn't she cried enough? She was being too weak. She would only be a burden if this continued.

"It's alright, Haru. No one's here. Let it out, its okay." Haru stopped at Yamamoto's words. Unable to help herself, she let out her bottled up emotions and cried into his arms. She gripped his shirt, finally feeling satisfaction in her hysteric outbursts. She knew she was taking advantage of his kindness, but the comforting words that came out of his charismatic being was overwhelming. Maybe he was manipulating her that way - but it didn't matter, even if it was true. She willingly fell into his trap.

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_::Next chapter preview::_

_"Sorry, Tenth." Gokudera apologized once again as they walked through shadowy paths and dark alleys. His face was sullen. He felt guilty._

_"No, no. Its okay, Gokudera-kun. Its not your fault…not entirely, anyway," Tsuna reassured. "Its fine. Its not your fault the transmissions, and even the whole building, got destroyed in the chaos. I'm sure it was bound to happen, anyway." Tsuna sighed. Really, all he wanted at the moment was to just go home and see his Family. He suddenly felt a new sense of resolution and determination. Spurred by this thought, he decided to stay optimistic, all the while, looking forward to going back home._

_"Don't get ahead of yourself, Tsuna," Reborn warned him._


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR! Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Amano Akira.

**The story finally comes to a conclusion!**

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"Sorry, Tenth." Gokudera apologized once again as they walked through shadowy paths and dark alleys. His face was sullen. He felt guilty.

"No, no. It's okay, Gokudera-kun. It's not your fault…not entirely, anyway," Tsuna reassured. "It's fine. It's not your fault the transmissions, and even the whole building, got destroyed in the chaos. I'm sure it was bound to happen, anyway." Tsuna sighed. Really, all he wanted at the moment was to just go home and see his Family. He suddenly felt a new sense of resolution and determination. Spurred by this thought, he decided to stay optimistic, all the while looking forward to going back home.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Tsuna," Reborn warned him. He didn't mean anything by it. It wasn't a threat; but it was important to always consider the many possibilities and assume the worst possible situations - and be ready for it.

"Move faster, Sawada," Hibari growled. Hibari's impatience was not new to Tsuna or Gokudera, but this time he seemed like he was really tired of them. Like he didn't even want to look at them.

"We still have things to do," Reborn continued. "We can't go home just yet."

Tsuna let out a sigh of frustration but nonetheless continued through the eerie and dim path.

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Stepping through the doors of the Vongola headquarters, Tsuna let out a sigh of relief. Hibari had long gone off on his own way; leaving Gokudera, Tsuna, and Reborn to return by themselves.

Tsuna felt uneasy. Gokudera had been strangely quiet the whole way back, but he didn't pry him for details. He just took another deep breath and focused on what was ahead. This was, after all, their long awaited return.

Gokudera pressed his lips together. The anxiety was overwhelming. He turned to the brunette. "…Um, Tenth, I'll go ahead. I've got to do something first."

"Eh? Oh, s-sure. Go ahead, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said with a small smile. He stared as Gokudera disappeared down a corridor at the side. He wondered what was wrong with his Storm Guardian. He was acting so suspiciously. No, that wouldn't be the best word. Strange would probably be more fitting. What ever was bothering him was obviously something big.

Over the years, Gokudera Hayato became very capable and could handle almost anything. He would process any situation calmly and would hardly ever lose composure. He was not the same hot-headed, impulsive, foulmouthed kid ten years ago. He worked hard to prove that to Tsuna.

Tsuna forced his concerns away, believing Gokudera would be fine and could handle whatever was bothering him. He smiled as he walked further through the main hall, anxious to see his Family. Nostalgia overwhelmed him, that is, until he was kicked in the back of his head and found himself face down on the ground. "AH~!" he screamed rather girlishly.

"Idiot Tsuna. Where do you think you're going?" Reborn calmly demanded, standing beside Tsuna's poor head. "We've still yet to report the details of the mission!"

Tsuna pouted, having completely forgotten about submitting the reports for the mission. He didn't like that he was being delayed from seeing his friends. Nonetheless, he sulkily got up and dragged himself away from his desired direction.

-

Haru stopped walking, having suddenly felt an overwhelming sensation. She wondered what it was; she only hoped it wasn't a bad omen.

"What's up, Haru?" She looked back at Yamamoto. "You okay?" he asked with a gentle smile.

"It's nothing," she reassured with a small grin.

He laughed cheerfully. "Okay." They both heard a small beeping noise and they glanced at each other. Yamamoto took out his beeper from his pocket and read the blinking words. "Huh," he mumbled. "I'm being summoned to the research room." He put it back in his pocket and looked back at Haru with a smile plastered on his face. "Well, I'll be going now."

Haru nodded, smiling optimistically. "Go ahead."

"Oh, and Haru," He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a semi-hug, causing Haru to let out a small 'hahi'. He let go and smiled lightheartedly. "Put on a happier face, 'kay?"

Haru flushed. "O-okay." He waved bye to her and walked away. She puffed out her cheeks and walked off in the opposite direction, her destination unknown.

Gokudera stared blankly after her figure. He shut his eyes, having witnessed their suspicious act of affection towards each other. He, however, was unable to catch any of their conversation. Without a word he turned on his heel to return to the Tenth's side.

-

"Tenth," Gokudera mumbled.

"Huh? Oh, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna exclaimed. "We're just about to meet up with everyone! Finally!" Tsuna smiled excitedly.

Gokudera smiled back at his boss. "Yeah…"

"Ryohei did us a favor and brought everyone together in the meeting room." Tsuna led the way towards the said room. "I wonder if everyone's there already?"

The closed double doors of the meeting room came into view. Ryohei was standing in front of it, arms crossed in rare patience.

"Ryohei…?" Tsuna questioned, afraid something was wrong. Seeing Ryohei like this was a rare sight, after all.

The Sun Guardian looked over upon hearing his name. "Sawada!" he exclaimed. The look of pure happiness washed across his face.

"Be more respectful, lawn head!" Gokudera snapped, looking ready to attack the rambunctious boxer. "You're talking to the Tenth!"

"Whatever! To the extreme!" was Ryohei's reply.

Tsuna gave an uneasy laugh. "It's okay," he said, raising a hand to calm the Storm Guardian. _I guess old habits die hard,_ he thought with a sigh.

"Sawada," Ryohei said, gaining his attention, "everyone's waiting inside." He gestured to the large double doors.

Tsuna nodded. "Please open them."

-

-

Everyone was seated around a long, rectangular table. Multiple conversations were heard, filling the air with a warm, comfortable atmosphere.

"Hey, Haru," Yamamoto greeted, taking a seat next to her. He adjusted the sword that was slung over his shoulder. He had a big, vivacious smile on.

Haru stared at him curiously. "…You seem to be in a good mood, Yamamoto-kun," she observed.

"Well, something really good is gonna happen," he grinned. She gave him a questioning look. His grin seemed as if it would permanently stick to his face. "You'll see."

Haru opened her mouth to ask but decided against it. She closed her mouth and bit her lip, waiting for an answer to come.

Everyone snapped their heads in the direction of the double doors when they heard a loud, sharp sound in what seemed as though someone had kicked open the door. Ryohei walked in briskly and shouted, "Sawada's back!" He held two fists up in the air. He moved out of the way so that everyone could see for themselves the return of their beloved boss and the Storm Guardian.

Shouts and cheers suddenly erupted when they saw the two men walk through the doors.

Haru's eyes widened. She froze in her spot. "Tsuna-kun and…Hayato," she mumbled. She stared at the silver-haired bomber but he didn't even send a glance her way. She made no move to get up and instead, stared down at her lap. Her hands balled into fists as she contemplated the source of the sudden turmoil of emotions whirling inside her. Guilt plagued her. Didn't she resolve to act the same around him? Why did she feel so strange?

_It's okay_, she thought as she continued to avoid eye contact with the bomb specialist. _It's fine._ It wasn't like she promised anything. They didn't promise anything to each other. Nothing, at all. They can't keep a promise that was never made. _I never promised him anything. . ._

-

Gokudera frowned at the ground. He avoided facing her direction completely. He stared blankly at his Family's happy faces. _Strange_, he thought. He didn't feel right. He was acting stubborn, really. Sort of rebellious. He also felt guilty for not saying a word to her, especially after all this time. He forced the troublesome thoughts away and turned his attention to the Tenth.

It was okay. There was nothing to feel guilty about. There were no promises that they had made to each other. He never promised her anything.

Nothing.

At all.

That was what he was trying to reason with himself, anyway.

As weeks went by, Haru started to completely avoid Gokudera. She didn't know why, but she did. She couldn't explain it. She couldn't explain why and what exactly was making her feel so much guilt and some other feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on. Pain, maybe?

Whatever was causing her to do so, she had done it almost by instinct. The desire to protect her heart had become priority to Haru. What she was doing to Gokudera was its result.

Her heart was hurting. Badly.

She could only think Gokudera was the cause of the pain, so she came to the conclusion of avoiding Gokudera entirely until she could figure out some way to ease her heart.

Gokudera, on the other hand, never planned on avoiding the short-haired brunette in the first place. So when he would see her walking down the hall and then see him at the end, it would surprise him when she would quickly turn and power walk the other way. He frowned when she would not make any eye contact with him. She could hardly stand to be in his presence - and that irritated him.

Gokudera sighed, irritated just thinking about it. He turned a corner and bumped into something. He looked down. He blinked. It was Haru.

Haru squeaked and quickly brushed past him to continue on her way.

Fed up with Haru's attitude, Gokudera grabbed her arm to keep her in place. "Haru," he said sternly. "What are you ignoring me for?"

Haru did not look up at him. She kept her eyes glued to the floor, her hair blocking her eyes from his own.

"That's what you've been doing, right?" He glared adamantly at her. "Why are you mad? I should be the one that's mad, Haru." His grip on her arm tightened, annoyed she still wasn't looking at him. "I come back and you're with that sword freak Yamamoto!"

Haru finally looked up at him. "Eh? T-that's not true!"

"Then tell me what's going on!" He looked at her with intense, disbelieving eyes.

"Yamamoto-san and I have gotten close, yes," she started to raise her voice, "but that's because he's been very kind to me! He was comforting me!" She glared at him as Gokudera remained silent. "Besides, what do you care!" she shot back, a stubborn tone in her voice.

"...I thought everything's changed," Gokudera replied. "I thought a lot has happened while I was gone..." He let go of her arm and let it drop down to his side.

Haru stared at him. Her eyes wandered to the floor as she spoke, "Some things probabaly did...but my feelings for you definitely haven't." She hugged him and buried her head in his shirt. "I really missed you, Hayato." Her grip tightened slightly. "I...I've always loved only you. R-really," she said timidly, but the sincerity was blatant.

Gokudera froze. _What did she...say? _His face flushed a cherry red. His mind went blank. Thinking things through was what he was always good at. Challenges, puzzles, mysteries. But this...this was just plain unexpected. What was he supposed to say now?

Awkwardly, he wrapped his arms around her and talked as gently as he could, "Haru, I'm sorry about what I said before. And I'm," he paused, "glad to hear that. Because I...I love you, too." His face turned a deeper shade of red.

Haru blinked and pulled back to look at his face. "Really?!" she asked, happy to hear his words.

"Y-yeah."

Haru smiled happily and hugged him again. "I'm so happy!" Tears of happiness slid down her cheeks.

"Hey! Haru! Don't just go crying!" Gokudera exclaimed. He tried to pry her arms off. "H-hey! Let go!"

"But I'm so happy!" Haru cried. She reluctantly let go to wipe the tears of joy away.

Gokudera scoffed. "Sheesh, woman. You're so emotional."

"Of course I am!" was Haru's reply.

"Yeah, yeah. Just stop crying." He patted her head while she continued to dry her eyes with her sleeve. After a moment, Gokudera turned around and started down the hall.

Haru sniffed and watched Gokudera walk away. "Hayato? Where are you going?" She started after him.

Gokudera looked back at her. "I'm going to tell that sword freak to back off."

* * *

The End!

Yes, it's finally finished! I'm so happy! Truth be told, I rushed this. I rushed it bad. Especially the end. You probably already noticed. I wanted to get this done before New Year's but, alas, I couldn't do it. Anyway, I just want to say I will definitely fix this when I get back home(I'm on an unexpected vacation). So watch out for it ;) (if you want).

If you have any questions concerning the story because you didn't understand 'cuz I rushed so much, then feel free to message me! It's fine because I can still log in. I just don't have actual time to write anything substantial, y'know?

Before I forget...is Reborn in the future adult or still a baby? Lal Mirch grows, but what about the other arcobaleno? I get confused when I read other, rather unreliable, things pertaining to the future. So as you can see, Reborn disappears about half way through the story. Haha. I didn't know what to do with him. I just stopped mentioning him. (This is one of the things I have to edit when I get back.)

And sooo! Thanks for the reviews and the support thus far! It was really encouraging and fun reading the reviews. I'm really grateful!

Thanks again.


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